2025-03-05 16:09:16Li Jie was stunned by the loud shout. However, he did not realize that the threat was directed at him. He still had his face lifted, though he was no longer looking at the beautiful girl who had just arrived.
Bang!
"Are you deaf!?" the soldier shouted again while slamming the table where Li Jie and Mei Lian were seated.
Li Jie stared sharply at the soldier for a moment. But then he lowered his gaze, not wanting to cause trouble in the dining hall.
The beautiful girl, dressed in luxurious noble attire, glanced briefly at Li Jie. Although she admired his handsome face, her admiration quickly faded when she noticed his tattered clothing. Without further thought, she continued walking up the stairs.
"This is the first and last warning. If you dare look at Princess Yuan Li again, I will make you blind forever!"
After delivering both a warning and a threat, the soldier finally followed the beautiful girl named Yuan Li.
"Why are you frowning like that?" Li Jie asked.
"You’re so clueless, Li Jie!" Mei Lian huffed in annoyance.
"I don’t understand what you mean."
"Never mind. Forget it," the beautiful girl replied, feeling jealous of how Li Jie had been staring at Yuan Li nonstop since the noble girl entered the dining hall, accompanied by three soldiers.
Li Jie scratched his head, though it wasn’t itchy. He was still confused by Mei Lian's sudden attitude.
Not long after, their ordered meals were served on the table. The serving girl who brought the food stole a long glance at Li Jie, and Mei Lian accidentally noticed it. Her jealousy flared up even more, though she managed to suppress it.
"Please enjoy your meal, Sir," the serving girl said, flashing the sweetest smile she could muster to attract Li Jie's attention.
"Thank you," Li Jie replied flatly, without looking at her. His mind was still occupied with Mei Lian's behavior earlier.
The serving girl turned away in irritation, disappointed that her smile received no reaction from the handsome young man.
A moment later, a young man with a noble appearance and considerable charm entered the dining hall, escorted by four soldiers.
Li Jie and Mei Lian paid no attention to their arrival, too busy enjoying their meals.
Bang!
Once again, the table where Li Jie and Mei Lian sat was slammed—this time by one of the soldiers escorting the young nobleman.
Li Jie was startled by the sudden impact. He was so shocked that the food he was about to swallow ended up being spat out.
The handsome young man immediately stood up, ready to settle the matter with the soldiers. His eyes locked sharply onto the five men standing beside his table.
"Why did you slam my table!?" Li Jie asked angrily.
Not wanting Li Jie to get involved in a fight, Mei Lian quickly grabbed his hand to calm him down.
"Don't you know that Prince Wang Wei is standing right in front of you!?" the soldier snapped.
"So what? I didn't get in your way. If you want to pass, just pass. Why do you have to slam my table?" Li Jie replied, ignoring Mei Lian, who had been urging him to back down.
"Are you unaware of the long-standing unwritten rule here? Whenever a noble passes by, all activities must stop to pay respect to them!"
"How would I know? This is my first time visiting this village. And honestly, that rule is ridiculous. A noble should be respected because they understand, empathize, and provide solutions to the people's problems—not because they instill fear!" Li Jie retorted. He already had a secret plan in mind if Emperor Li Wei acknowledged him as his grandson.
"You still dare to argue! Aren’t you afraid of being punished by Prince Wang Wei!?"
"Please forgive my husband, Prince. He is just stubborn like this. For this time, please forgive him. He won’t do it again," Mei Lian suddenly interrupted.
Prince Wang Wei, who had been silently listening to the argument, turned his gaze toward Mei Lian with lustful eyes. However, since he needed to meet Princess Yuan Li immediately, he simply nodded.
"I will let it slide this time. Teach your husband some manners and respect toward nobles," Prince Wang Wei said.
"Thank you, Prince," Mei Lian replied, though deep inside, she felt disgusted by the way Prince Wang Wei was looking at her as if he wanted to devour her.
Prince Wang Wei nodded again before motioning for his four soldiers to continue moving.
The other diners could only sigh at the young man's foolishness. But what puzzled them was that it was highly unusual for Prince Wang Wei to let someone go unpunished for not showing him respect.
"Why didn’t the Prince punish that young man?" one of the soldiers asked after they reached the upper floor.
Prince Wang Wei halted his steps. "You all saw how beautiful that girl was, didn’t you?"
The four soldiers nodded in unison. It seemed they already understood their prince's intentions.
"Keep an eye on them and find out where they’re staying. Then, kidnap the girl. I want to feel that alluring body of hers."
"Understood, Prince. Leave it to us. If necessary, we’ll kill her husband so he won’t be a problem later."
"Hahaha… That’s why you’re my personal guards. You already know exactly what to do," Prince Wang Wei said with a satisfied grin.
After that, he resumed walking, his smile widening as he spotted Princess Yuan Li waiting for him.
"Where have you been? Don’t you know I’ve been waiting for you!?" Princess Yuan Li snapped.
"Forgive me, my beautiful Princess. There was a slight issue downstairs with some young man," Prince Wang Wei replied.
"The one sitting at the table near the stairs?"
"You know him, Princess?"
"Are you trying to insult me? Why would I ever associate with a lowly person like him!?" Princess Yuan Li scoffed.
"I didn’t mean to offend you, Princess. But if you don’t know him, how did you notice him?"
Princess Yuan Li huffed in irritation. "I had a little issue with him earlier. He dared to look at my beautiful face. To me, that’s an insult! My beauty is not for the eyes of someone as lowly as him!"
"Don’t worry, Princess. My guards will teach that man a lesson soone nough. But tell me, why did you summon me here?"
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THE SNEER
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Aji vs Ki Ageng - Part IV
The old man drew a long, ragged breath. He was fortunate his inner energy ran deep — it was only by bracing himself against his spears that he had escaped the terrifying blast. With deliberate precision, he crossed the twin short spears before his face, then swept them left and right in a fluid motion, launching a counterattack. Close-quarters combat erupted once more.Though Aji’s sword continued to exude oppressive force, Ki Ageng’s twin spears allowed him to push back slightly, his rapid, dancing strikes forcing Aji to give ground. What Ki Ageng did not know was that Aji was intentionally loosening his assault — luring him into close range, into a trap he had set from the start. The moment his foe stepped within reach, the handsome warrior poured more power into the Sword of Darkness.In an instant, the energy pressure swelled to an unbearable intensity. When the black blade collided with Ki Ageng’s spears, the force was so great the weapons flew from his grasp, clattering to the d
Aji vs Ki Ageng - Part III
“Bastard! You will never defeat me!” Ki Ageng roared, his eyes flashing with a hatred so intense it seemed to scorch the air between them. Yet beneath that seething loathing, a spark of awe flickered — for his foe, despite being far younger, could match him blow for blow. In the prime of his youth, this handsome man stood as his equal.The hand-to-hand combat reignited, and this time, there was a subtle shift in the tide. Aji had been watching closely, committing every movement of the Drunken King Fist to memory — movements Ki Ageng had unknowingly demonstrated in their earlier exchanges. Now, slowly but surely, Aji began to weave those very techniques into his own fighting style.“Cur! So that’s why he let me strike him earlier — to learn the Drunken King Fist,” Ki Ageng muttered to himself, and despite everything, his admiration for Aji deepened. Even as an enemy, the young warrior commanded respect.Aji was still unaccustomed to the form, his movements lacking the fluid grace that
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